MILTON — An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy who crashed a patrol vehicle into a home Nov. 28 was suicidal, according to a Milton Police Department offense report.
The deputy called in sick around 7:45 a.m. that day and said he was feeling “loopy” after taking a Xanax, according to the report, which stated he didn’t want to drive the 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe he later crashed into Navy housing on Merrill Drive.
Two Milton police officers responded to an officer-in-trouble emergency alert around 9:30 a.m. for a traffic crash and possible suicide attempt. The deputy’s wife called and said he drove his vehicle into the house, according to the report.
Police officers who arrived on the scene saw the Tahoe partially inside the house but no sign of the deputy; they soon learned the deputy was inside the house, according to the report.
They arrested the deputy, who had blood in front of his shirt and a stab wound near the center of his chest, according to the report, which stated the deputy said, “I was trying to kill myself … 36 years of marriage down the drain.”
The deputy, who is not named due to a Florida law protecting officers’ identity, is charged with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a misdemeanor, and third-degree property damage, a felony.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Deputy reportedly suicidal; charged with DUI, property damage